Towers of Midnight/Chapter 38
Summary : The fight continues in earnest in the White Tower. Egwene al'Vere shifts to a room to the side of a group of Black Ajah and pulls in down on them. Evanellein Lorn is killed in the collapse. Egwene drops just as she feels channeling behind her. She spots Mesaana draped in her cloak of blackness behind her. Bair rushes past draped in Cadin'sor. Egwene takes note of Perrin Aybaras presence and how strong he was as well as Bair, who cannot channel. She realizes that Tel'aran'rhiod is all about will. Egwene shifts to another location and spots Nicola Treehill hiding. Egwene goes to help her when the ground underneath Nicola is ripped to shreds, killing Nicola with the devastation. A blast shoots towards Egwene, but Melaine creates a wall in front of Egwene. They both shift to another area and observe Alviarin Freidhen and Ramola. Egwene sees a room behind them and plans to ambush them as she did the previous two sisters. She then remembers what Bair had told her about being too predictable. She shifts into the room and prepares for Mesaana to appear. She does and quickly throws some weaves at Egwene, surprised. Egwene believes that the weaves won't hit her and then throws a spear at Mesaana. Mesaana tries to block the spear with Air but Egwene believes it won't slow down, and it impales the woman in the neck. The darkness is whipped away and reveals Katerine Alruddin. Egwene is sure Katerine is not Mesaana when she feels an A'dam snap around her neck. Mesaana stands beside triumphant. Egwene stifles down terror at being captured, just like they had Moghedien. Mesaana asks about the Dreamspike. Egwene refuses and Mesaana starts to torture her through the a'dam. Egwene refuses to bend to the pain and that the a'dam is even real. It falls off her neck. The two stare at each other trying to impose their will on the other. Egwene will not bend, she is the Amyrlin Seat of the White Tower. The White Towers legacy has spanned thousands of years and will continue long after Mesaana has gone. She feels something snap and Mesaana drops to the ground. Egwene takes Mesaana and shifts to where her group are holding out. They are incredulous that Egwene managed to defeat one of the Forsaken, but Bair recognizes the state that Mesaana is in. While she is still alive, her mind is broken and she can no longer carry out even the simplest of matters. Egwene reports that the rest of the Black Ajah have fled. She thanks the Wise Ones for their assistance and they all leave tel'aran'rhiod. : Perrin stumbles through a dream of Tarmon Gai'don. Dragonmount is erupting destroying the land. Perrin refuses to let himself be drawn into the dream. He finds Slayer struggling to gain control. Perrin imagines a rift opening under Slayer. Slayer slips hanging onto the ledge. Perrin imagines himself as Azi al'Thone and that he is trying to help someone beside Slayer hanging off the ledge. Slayer grabs hold of Perrin and as he pulls himself up, Perrin grabs the dreamspike. He makes a knife in his other hand and stabs Slayer in the stomach. Perrin can feel the dream about to burst. He pictures a river of lava and throws the Ter'angreal into it. The dream finally bursts revealing the destroyed dreamspike and the normal dream around them. The purple dome disappears. Slayer strides forward kicking Perrin several times. As he starts to lose consciousness he hears Hopper speak to him one last time. He tells him to flee and seek out Noam. The mind winks out for good. Perrin flees. : Egwene awakes to the scene of a massacre. She spots Gawyn Trakand laying on the floor, severely wounded. He asks why the lamps are still on and she tells him she never got his message. Egwene realizes that if Gawyn hadn't returned she would have been assassinated and Mesaana would still be free. Egwene does the only thing she can to save Gawyn and Bonds him as her Warder, swearing that this is what she wants. : Perrin awakes weeping. Masuri Sokawa stands above him and Heals his wounds. Zarine ni Bashere t'Aybara tells him the gateways are working now and that just about everyone is through. Perrin believes that an army is coming for them and they must leave now. Perrin tells Faile that he lost Hopper for the second time. As he emerges from the tent, he receives a salute from the Far Dareis Mai. The last of the army finally step through the gateway avoiding whatever trap there was out there. : Graendal sits with Slayer kneeling before her. She orders the trap to be sprung anyway. Characters *Egwene al'Vere *Evanellein *Mesaana *Amys *Perrin Aybara *Nicola Treehill *Melaine *Alviarin Freidhen *Ramola *Katerine Alruddin *Nynaeve al'Meara *Siuan Sanche *Leane Sharif *Bair *Slayer *Hopper *Gawyn Trakand *Masuri Sokawa *Edarra *Chiad *Jur Grady *Fager Neald *Gaul *Elyas Machera *Faile Bashere *Graendal Referenced *Saerin Asnobar *Moghedien *Shevan *Carlinya *Semirhage *Sammana Wise One Dreamer *Azi al'Thone *Boundless *Moridin Places *''Tel'aran'rhiod *Wolf Dream *Ghealdan *Whitebridge Referenced *Tar Valon *Dragonmount *Two Rivers *Emond's Field *Blight *Shara Items *Dreamspike *[[Dream ter'angreal|Dream ter'angreal]]